


NCT DREAM OCTOBER FICLETS

by ksfrmi



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: 00fftober, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Angst, Chilltober, Ficlet, Ficlet Collection, Fluff, Inktober 2019, Light Angst, M/M, Supernatural Abilities for day 4: freeze, bitter for day 18: bets, elf!chenle and shapeshifter!jisung in day 14: legend, fluff again for day 20: esp/psychic!, for day 20, for the dreamies including mark, immortal!jaemin for day 3: blessing and curse, implied established relationship for day 2: mindless, mark-centric for day 13: ash, more angst i guess bc that's all i know how to write, one sided attraction for day 18: bets, pining for day 26: shooting stars, some fluff for day 6: ice cream
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2020-10-29 15:57:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 9,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20799236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ksfrmi/pseuds/ksfrmi
Summary: A collection of ficlets using prompts from Inktober 2019, 00fftober and Chilltober.1. RING — the tiny trinket in renjun's pocket feels like nothing, but it bears such great emotional burden to the point he thinks it's odd that it weighs so little in reality.6. ICE CREAM — chenle and jisung were just hanging out like friends did, but then chenle asked if he could have a taste of jisung's ice cream. jisung was in a gay panic.13. ASH — yes, mark believed in fate, and mark believed he was simply fated to a life of misery, even when he strongly wished he hadn't been.18. BETS — in which jaemin had refused to be rejected by renjun, and thus made a bet that he could make renjun fall in love with him by next spring. it's fall now, and renjun has yet to fall in love with jaemin. he never will.20. ESP/PSYCHIC — markhyuck coffee shop/cafe au. in which donghyuck has the ability to read minds. he also works at a coffee shop. it's pretty useful.26. SHOOTING STARS — chensung. in which chenle and jisung go out to watch a comet, and chenle fails to confess.





	1. 1 | RING | renmin

**Author's Note:**

> i just want to say. thanks to the 00ffies for suggesting this idea! thanks to admin tea (00ficfest mod) for making a prompt list for us so quickly, the prompts are amazing and i've taken a few of them to write!! this is where i'll post ficlets on the daily, for hopefully every day of october! i'm taking the prompts from inktober 2019, 00fftober and chilltober and mixing and matching them! some of them are even in the same universe!! forgive me since i've rearranged some of the days to suit that!!
> 
> i hope you enjoy reading!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> shattered peridot.
> 
> the tiny trinket in renjun's pocket feels like nothing, but it bears such great emotional burden to the point he thinks it's odd that it weighs so little in reality.
> 
> — DAY ONE - INKTOBER 2019 #1 - RING

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> renjun/jaemin. post-character death. bitter. light angst i guess.

the subtle chirp of crickets, the gleam of the moon reflected on the lake's serene and shimmering waters, the breeze that slightly tousles his hair and dares to do nothing more—renjun thinks wistfully that tonight is almost perfect, but there seems to be something missing.

the tiny trinket in renjun's pocket feels like nothing, but it bears such great emotional burden to the point he thinks it's odd that it weighs so little in reality.

it's a ring, and in its center is a shattered stone of peridot. once upon a time, renjun had thought that it was a pretty ring with a pretty gem of a pretty green and had pretty engravings in its pretty silver hoop. _pretty_ had been what renjun thought the ring was, so tantalizing and perhaps even beautiful.

that was before it broke. before it became no good anymore.

renjun doesn't know why he keeps it still, it's worthless and it's jaemin's, and jaemin is dead. jaemin's been long dead. it haunts him still.

renjun fishes out the ring from his pocket out of habit, gently running his thumb on the peridot's cracks as he does. he's committed all the little dentures and lines to memory by now; every time he follows the ridges and splits he can relive fragments of jaemin. his words, his smile, even his death (renjun always forgoes the streak that last memory was set in)—it's all embedded in this ring's gemstone.

tonight, renjun is allowed a glimpse of jaemin's eyes.

it's hard to describe how beautiful they used to look. all he knows for sure is that they were a hundred—_no,_ a thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, maybe even a _million_ times more beautiful than this ring. too many times. too many times more beautiful for this world to handle.

he misses them, the way they would flit down to renjun's lips, how they would blink back up before returning their gaze to his lips again, how they would flutter shut when their mouths slotted together and their fingers intertwined.

and then the memory turns to dust. renjun misses the younger's eyes even more. he wishes he hadn't seen them again, hadn't rekindled the fire ablaze in his heart. then again, the fire had never gone out in the first place; it's been burning all this time, and he wishes hearts could smoulder. could disintegrate into ashes. because it hurts to love jaemin. jaemin, who was oh so _good_ to him, whom he saw die right in front of his eyes. it'd be good for him to stop loving jaemin.

sighing to himself, he holds the ring up to the moon, closing one eye as if looking through a telescope. the band looks like a halo, and he thinks jaemin must be up there somewhere, among the stars, watching over him.

and renjun thinks he's far too attached. he can't bring himself to throw the damning ring away and into this lake, where it would sink to the bottom, never to be seen again. nothing good has come from this chartreuse jewel, it's only brought him nightmares, despair and heartache (it brought jaemin death).

and renjun thinks it's ironic, really. peridot is for clarity of the mind, for letting go of grievances, for renewal, for the healing of the heart, for good dreams. that's what jaemin had told him anyway, and, thinking back to that time, jaemin had held the ring up to the moon the same way as renjun tonight. but for some reason, he could only find the opposite to be true, and he thinks it's because the stone is broken.

renjun begins to believe it's cursed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feel free to check out my twitter [@ksfrmi](https://twitter.com/ksfrmi) !!
> 
> read the prequel (kinda) to this part: [ANTIQUE](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20799236/chapters/50366675)!!!


	2. 2 | MINDLESS | renmin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> if kisses could be flowers.
> 
> in which renjun and jaemin are studying together, and then renjun falls asleep.
> 
> — DAY TWO - INKTOBER 2019 #2 - MINDLESS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> renjun/jaemin. modern setting au. fluff. implied established relationship.

A warm lamp stood on Renjun's desk, behind the scattered papers, textbooks, pencil cases and an empty chip bag, the only light that would've been illuminating their faces if not for the glare of Jaemin's laptop.

It wasn't Jaemin's first time in Renjun's room, but he couldn't help but mention how messy it was in here. The other hadn't tried to defend himself much, like it was just an accepted fact to him. The only time Renjun had defended himself was when Jaemin had begun nagging at him to clean more often than once a year, "Hey, I declutter once a _month,_ not once a year!"

"Then explain why it's always like _this,_" Jaemin had gestured all around the dirty room and at the small toppled trash can spilling with garbage and crumpled papers, "every time I come over. Aren't you supposed to make your room look nice when guests come over?"

"Well..." Renjun had trailed off. "If it was someone else, then I would."

"And what do you mean by _that?_"

"You're...you. It's practically your job to deal with me and my mess." Jaemin had rolled his eyes, but otherwise left their bickering at that. Nagging wasn't exactly what Jaemin had come here to do.

Renjun had invited him over to study, and Jaemin had accepted his offer gladly. They didn't really need to study _together,_ they could've studied on their own just fine, but they just wanted to be with each other for the sake of it. Even when they exchanged so few words, it was enough for them to simply be in each other's presence.

After keystrokes upon keystrokes, Jaemin finally typed out the final sentence to his essay. He instinctively rolled his shoulders back, cracking his knuckles and stretching out his fingers, before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Renjunnie," Jaemin began to ask as he closed the screen to his laptop. He was pleased at being able to stop straining his eyes with the blue-tinted screen. "Do you want to look around for something to..." Jaemin turned to look at Renjun beside him, only to trail off on his words.

_To eat,_ was what he had wanted to say.

But Renjun was now fast asleep, head cushioned by his arms with his right hand still gripping onto his pencil, and Jaemin wondered how focused on his paper he must have been to not notice. The least he should've heard was a yawn, and then he recalled that Renjun _had_ yawned, but the boy had stifled it most likely in order to not interrupt Jaemin's train of thought. Renjun had yawned silently, and it seems he had fallen asleep silently too.

As he listened on to Renjun's soft breathing, the occasional snore heard here and there, fondness found its way into Jaemin's heart and crept up his face as a small smile.

"What do you gotta be so cute for," Jaemin said tenderly to the sleeping boy. It was like his hand moved on its own when he gently pushed Renjun's fringes behind his ear. If only Jaemin had a flower to weave in his hair. He'd take one from this room if only Renjun had flowers and not succulents. If only one could blossom right now…

Jaemin didn't think much of it when he pressed his lips against Renjun's temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feel free to check out my twitter [@ksfrmi](https://twitter.com/ksfrmi) !!


	3. 3 | BLESSING & CURSE | renmin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> twisted.
> 
> it's a blessing jaemin is immortal.
> 
> — DAY THREE - 00FFTOBER #3 - BLESSING & CURSE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> renmin ficlet. angst. depictions of blood. no one dies but. attempted murder. self-loathing.

It's a blessing that Jaemin is immortal. Even when Renjun is pinning him to the ground and digging a dagger into Jaemin's squelching heart, he will never die from it. That also makes it the greatest curse—he can't pass away when he deserves to for committing horrible sins, and he can't slip away with hatred for Renjun for killing him (in truth Jaemin can't blame him for wanting to kill him, he'd want to kill himself too).

He has to see Renjun's tears, "why won't you die, I don't understand", he has to see Renjun pound at his chest with his empty fists and it doesn't even hurt, not nearly as much when compared to the dagger anyway.

He has to bear with Renjun as he sobs about Jaemin leaving him heartbroken, has to bear with both the emotional and physical pain of it all, the physical of which he doesn't really mind—he's become numb sort of, built a tolerance to it—but watching Renjun break down in front of him more than makes up for it. He almost wants to beg the boy for forgiveness.

Renjun has every reason to want to kill him for what Jaemin did to him, but he had to break Renjun's heart to protect him from Jaemin's own problems, too dangerous for a regular human mortal to get involved in.

And maybe he's twisted, because even as Renjun tries to kill him again and again and blood trickles from Jaemin's mouth like drool, his chest with a puncture already beginning to heal itself, as Renjun cries his heart out, the sound ringing in his ears and threatening to turn him deaf, Jaemin thinks Renjun is still beautiful. Just because he got to see Renjun cry over him, he thinks immortality is both a blessing and a curse.

It will always be that simple to Jaemin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feel free to check out my twitter [@ksfrmi](https://twitter.com/ksfrmi) !!


	4. 4 | FREEZE | renmin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mesmerized.
> 
> the city never sleeps, is never calm and is never tranquil. but tonight it is, or rather it just seems like it. because time is frozen.
> 
> — DAY FOUR - INKTOBER 2019 #4 - FREEZE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> renmin ficlet. can be read as renjun/any. neither fluff nor angst. supernatural abilities. non-kpop idol verse.

The city is calm and beautiful tonight. Anyone and everyone else in Neo City would probably argue the first descriptor, for Neo City was anything _but_ calm, with boisterous crowds spilling on the crosswalks and pedestrians bumping shoulders against each other as they went with and against the current of human bodies. What blares in their ears is the sound of cars honking at the congestion from the next street over, blending with the booming music from the concert a few more streets over. It goes on like a never-ending cycle, and all anyone ever expects from the heart of Neo City is chaos. The city never sleeps, is never calm and is never tranquil. But tonight it _is,_ or rather it just seems like it. Because time is frozen.

With everyone in various walking poses on the crosswalk, still as statues and dressed like mannequins, Renjun thought they'd look good to paint as a picture, and that he should try some time. All he'd need to do is fetch his drawing tablet from home and start drawing. Maybe he should try being fancy and grab his expensive paints and canvases. Or, he could stay at home and draw it from memory; it didn't really matter.

The traffic lights are a pretty colour, the emerald greens and ruby reds blurring together as he spins round-and-round and dances in the center of the open street. The sidewalks look charming with golds and oranges glowing upon them, the lamplight highlighting the stream of shops and reflecting on the window panes. The people inside those shops are still as well, and they resemble dollhouses when looking from a distance.

Renjun loves it all. It's amazing to be able to experience it all, but he's the only one that can. It's _his_ ability, after all. Renjun was born with the power to freeze time. He's the only one not frozen, the only one that can witness and appreciate this mystical night, the rare silence like slumber, and the surreal beauty of Neo City.

And then Renjun's eyes land on a boy, in a white hoodie with a red graphic and jeans, looking around at the still world around him, his face not masking his awe and wonder in the slightest and Renjun is confused. Because that boy was _moving_ when the world—_his world_—was supposed to be _frozen._

It takes a second for Renjun to realize that the boy is pretty. Probably the prettiest boy he's laid his eyes on, even when he hasn't seen the boy from up close. Even from this far away, Renjun can see the pure sparkle of the boy's eyes and the smile growing on his lips as he marvels at the suspended city.

Renjun is very much tempted to approach the boy, but he doesn't think he has enough courage to speak to him. He thinks it would be better to stay still and blend in with the crowd. It would be safer that way, since he has no idea if white-hoodie-boy is a threat or a fluke just yet, being the first person to be immune to his ability. In any case, Renjun should probably stop staring straight at him and hide.

But it's then that the boy in the hoodie spots him. and it's then that they make eye contact. Now Renjun can't run. Hypothetically, he could unfreeze time and mix in with the rushing crowd, but he finds that impossible; he can't look away from the boy's bewitching eyes, absolutely mesmerized by them and the vermillion of the car lights mirroring on the boy's irises. He can't seem to will the clocks around to start running again.

For the first time in his life, Renjun feels frozen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :DDD
> 
> i swear the next one won't be renmin k not all of these will be renmin


	5. 6 | ICE CREAM | chensung

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chenle and jisung were just hanging out like friends did, and then chenle asked if he could have a taste of jisung’s ice cream. jisung was in a gay panic.
> 
> — DAY SIX - CHILLTOBER #12 - ICE CREAM

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chenle/jisung. fluff. modern setting au.
> 
> uhh yes i skipped day 5 ;-; if you're really curious you can look for the unfinished scraps on my twt but otherwise just don't because it was scrapped for a reason

The mid-afternoon sun beams its hot rays on their sweaty backs, making Jisung think he and Chenle might end up with sunburns on their napes from it. They really should've worn some kind of protection, like snapbacks or sunscreen, the former of which they forgot to bring and the latter of which they were always too lazy to apply.

They could also really go for some ice cream right about now. He guesses that was why they were walking up to the cute strawberry-pink and vanilla-white striped ice cream parlour. Because, you know, it's hot outside and you eat ice cream when it's hot outside. (For the record, those were Chenle's words, not his own.)

To anyone that asked, Jisung and Chenle were friends hanging out like friends did, at a place where friends usually hung out. Yes, that was what they were doing. Supposed to be doing. They're supposed to get ice cream at the ice cream parlour because it's hot outside. But they were standing in front of its doors instead of standing _ in _ it.

"Jisung, can't we go inside already? It's hot out here!" Chenle complains, fanning himself with his hand, which didn’t help much with the heat.

"I have to think of what to order first," comes Jisung’s response. He has his phone out to a tab of the flavour menu from the parlour’s website, and he takes his sweet time scrolling through each individual flavour and reading the little excerpts. His eyes skip over the calories, he’ll burn them off easily.

"You can do that _ inside. _ Maybe it'll cool your head down and let you think better," Chenle says.

"But it's so crowded..."

"Jisung, the line. The _ line. _ Look, another two people just walked inside!” Jisung’s head whips up from his phone, and indeed he sees two more people join the long lineup getting increasingly closer to the entrance. “The quicker we get inside, the quicker we can get outside. You'll have plenty of time to think while we wait," Chenle reasons.

"But—"

"No buts! You know what, I'm going in," Chenle says, marching through the doors of the parlour and leaving Jisung to himself. After looking around like a lost duckling, Jisung follows the other inside, not wanting to stand around awkwardly.

Upon entering, he feels a pleasant cool air bounce on his skin, smells the rich scent of waffle cones wafting in the air, sees the bright colour schemes of the shop. Sees Chenle looking up at the menu displays before turning to look at Jisung with a smile. It makes his heart do a little thing.

"See, it’s better in here. It’s not _ that _crowded,” Chenle says. Jisung hums in agreement.

The line turns out to take an eternity, giving Jisung more than enough time to decide on what ice cream he’s craving (it’s chocolate, always chocolate). Chenle and Jisung end up bickering over whose choice is better between strawberry cheesecake with a red velvet cone and s’more-choco-chip with a belgian waffle cone respectively, who’s paying and who’s ordering. They can’t agree who has better taste, but end up deciding that Jisung will pay and Chenle will order through a few rounds of rock paper scissors.

Once it’s finally their turn to order, the rest of the time passes in a blur as Jisung hands the worker a crumpled bill and some change and suddenly they’re back outside in the sweltering heat with already melting ice cream in their hands.

They’ve barely started their treats when Chenle asks. "Can I have a taste of your ice cream?"

_ What. What. _ Sirens blasted in Jisung's mind, _ mayday _ and panicked heartbeats blending together in gay. _ This is normal for friends, right, _ he thought. _ Just let him taste the freakin’ ice cream. _

Instead, what Jisung blurts out is: "Uh, no, this is _ my _ ice cream."

What Jisung doesn’t expect whatsoever is for Chenle to grab onto Jisung’s wrist, the one with the cone, holding it in place. He nearly squeezes the cone too hard out of instinct, only barely not breaking it and having the ice cream get all over his hand like what happens when he tries cracking eggs with one hand. Chenle goes in for a bite, and Jisung's face feels like it's on fire.

Chenle just sticks his tongue out at him teasingly. It’s coated with a melted layer of chocolate ice cream. Jisung can’t help but blush harder.

"Well, now what. I can't eat it now because you just licked it," Jisung says, flustered.

Chenle rolls his eyes. "It's not the end of the world, I'll go back in and ask for a spoon to scoop that part off if it makes you feel better." And so Jisung watches as the other goes back inside the shop.

The ice cream begins to melt more as Jisung leaves it under the sun’s rays, and then he just _ has _ to lick where it drips so it doesn't get on his hands and makes them sticky (it was a pet peeve of his).

He ends up going with it and starts taking a few more bites because it tastes good. It cools off his blushing face well too.

And then Chenle comes back outside with two spoons, and when he spots Jisung eating his ice cream as if nothing had even happened he says, “I really just did that for nothing, unbelievable.”

"It's really good."

Chenle just shook his head, scooping a bit of Jisung’s ice cream before turning around to walk in the direction of the park.

“Hey, can you give me the other spoon?“


	6. 13 | ASH | mark-centric

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hellfire.
> 
> yes, mark believed in fate, and mark believed he was simply fated to a life of misery, even when he strongly wished he hadn't been.
> 
> — DAY THIRTEEN - INKTOBER 2019 #13 - ASH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mark-centric. bitter. idek if this can count as angst but telling you just in case. 1/5 dreamies fantasy au. definitely listened to hellfire while writing this.

Mark's life had been damned on one fateful night six months ago, and now he was going back to the place he had been that one fateful night. Yes, Mark believed in fate, and Mark believed he was simply fated to a life of misery, even when he strongly wished he hadn't been.

The rain was pouring heavily, thrumming on his head and back, soaking his clothes and making them cling to his skin uncomfortably. The dirt had turned to mud, not helping him on his trek uphill in the slightest, making the path slippery. Mark gritted his teeth as he sluggishly placed one foot in front of the other on the mushy terrain; he was exhausted and he didn't want to soil his clothes any more than they already were by dredging himself in the mud.

Dismal was the sky over his head, dull and bleak and grey and nothing like what his mother liked. His mother much preferred the sky to be glowing hues of pinks and blues, for the sun to be scintillating and dazzling, for everything above the horizon to be picturesque so she was inspired to paint it.

His mother hated gloomy days, so much, in fact, that she let Mark sleep in until dinnertime, and every time he'd wake up to a setting sun he'd know that it must've been raining earlier that day.

It must've been fate toying with him again, for today of all days to be like this.

He didn't know what to expect when he finally reached the top of the hill. The least he had known was that it would look nothing like it had a year ago, perhaps not even like it had _half_ a year ago. But then he saw that it looked the same, the cottage that he and his mother used to live in. And then it wasn't anymore, and Mark wasn't surprised nor was he disappointed. His eyes were playing tricks on him again, most likely from his lack of sleep—he had wanted to return on this specific day and had to sacrifice some sleep in exchange for travel time.

In front of him was ash. Most of it had been washed away, leaving only the soot-stained stone remnants of the structure. He remembered the day their home burnt down quite clearly; the raging fire, the intense orange that had cast over everything ever important to him, his mother's paintings that he knew had been destroyed by the flames and crushed under rubble. And the figure that the fire had morphed into after it had finished burning his house down to the ground.

Mark had asked, "Who are you, what do you want from me?"

The fire had answered in a sultry voice, "It matters not who I am. What does matter is what I want, but it seems it isn't here." Those words had made Mark's blood boil, _his house had been burned down for nothing?_

"What is it that you're looking for, that you went and destroyed my home in search of it," he had growled, growing impatient and increasingly angered. "Tell me, what have you done with my mother!"

"Your mother is alive, that I can assure you. I've taken her to the underworld, to a prison of nothingness that never ends," they had said. So many questions had whirred in Mark's mind, he had been so confused at everything, and there had been so many questions he wanted to ask but he didn't end up voicing a single one.

"However, I cannot guarantee that she should _stay_ alive unless you and I make a deal." What did they mean? What deal? Would his mother be killed if he didn't accept?

"...What deal?"

"I want you to aid me in finding what I want."

"What would I even be looking for," Mark had asked.

"It is a magical amulet made of aqua and mana that can never be destroyed. With it, I will be able to control all water, along with fire and wind. My collection will be close to completion, and I will gain immense power. But what I will do with my power is to recreate the world as I see fit. If you truly want your mother back, you will have to sacrifice possibly every other human being on this earth. Of course, you and your mother will be allowed to live, and those that I deem worthy will be allowed to live also."

For every human besides them to be wiped off the face of the earth, one would think that Mark's hands were tied, but that simply wasn't the case. If this being already had the powers of fire and wind at his disposal, there wouldn't be much hope for the world if he were to refuse anyway; either mankind was screwed or mankind, excluding them, was screwed. And Mark was an incredibly selfish human being. His mother was his everything, and he was going to get her back even if it meant sacrificing millions upon millions of people in exchange.

"If you promise to bring my mother back safe and sound and to keep the rest of your side of the deal, only then will I make this deal with you," he had told the personified fire.

That had been how Mark and the flame made a deal. Or rather, how Mark and the demon made a deal.

In the six months since then, Mark has been searching for answers as to who the demon was exactly and why they had chosen him to make a deal with. Why the demon had thought that the item would be here of all places. And what the damn amulet looked like. Returning back to his former home where now only ashes remain, he's only found the answer to only one of those questions after travelling the entirety of the east, after long research and uncovering of old texts from old myths: the amulet's appearance and name.

All that he discovered was written inside his journal or, in the case of the amulet, drawn. And there were also important dates that he had written in order to not forget. But this day was one he could never forget.

Mark crouched down, his boots digging into the mud and ashes, and took in a deep breath in an attempt to stop his eyes from stinging. He looked up at the rain, letting it drip on his face, hoping it would mask the tears flowing down his cheeks, before ducking back down at the remains of the house again.

"Happy birthday, mom."


	7. 14 | LEGEND | chensung

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wannabe legends.
> 
> in which chenle and jisung want to become legends (it was chenle's idea).
> 
> — DAY FOURTEEN - INKTOBER 2019 #15 - LEGEND

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chenle/jisung. fluff!! 2/5 dreamies fantasy au.

“Jisung, come out, come out, wherever you are,” Chenle called out before grumbling, “You could let _me_ be the one hiding for once...” _Yeah, if only you could beat me at rock paper scissors,_ Jisung thought.

Jisung’s eyes followed Chenle through the gaps of the shifting leaves as he parted bushes and tree vines in search of him, and he stifled his snickering as Chenle groaned in annoyance.

Jisung wasn’t down there; he was high up a very tall tree, among the singing birds, currently perched on a small branch. Jisung was hiding as a small bird. He was born with the ability to shapeshift into whatever animals he saw fit, as long as he knew every little detail of the creature’s appearance to heart. It was no wonder he could transform into a bird, all the feathered friends loved to flock to him and sit on his shoulders (though it was partially because Jisung always made sure to give them some of the grain seeds he had left in his pocket).

But then Chenle stomped his way straight to the tree Jisung was in, looking up and inevitably spotting Jisung's lemon-yellow feathers. “Hey, you _know_ I don’t know how to climb trees,” he said. Now caught, Jisung flew down onto one of the tree’s stronger arms before transforming back into a human, a sunflower-coloured shirt draped over his frame (see, if he had been in his human form he would've been caught in an instant with how the colour popped against the contrasting green).

“You could always ask the vines to help you up,” Jisung suggested. He then watched as the tree vines proceeded to wrap themselves around Chenle’s waist before hoisting him up beside Jisung. “How did you find me?” Jisung asked as the vines unraveled themselves, leaving Chenle to sit with him.

“I asked. The trees see everything, and when I asked nicely they told me,” Chenle replied.

“Hey, that’s cheating!”

“You cheated first! You used your shapeshifting powers, so I used my own,” Chenle retorted.

Jisung pouted, feeling defeated. “Fine,” he said.

Chenle was a half-elf who was born in this village and thus he, like the other elves here, could use earth magic to control, well, _the earth._ He only needed to ask and the earth would listen; the ground beneath their feet would shift, the trees and tree vines would tell them what they could see and would cradle him like a baby, the plants and flowers would sprout and bloom, all if he simply asked.

Jisung had only been eight or so when he had stumbled upon the hidden village of elves living in this forest, with no recollection of anything at all. He had only known his name was Jisung. And Chenle ended up being Jisung's only friend here, since there weren't any other human children in the village, and, while the other elves weren't unwelcoming in the slightest, they hadn't open themselves up to Jisung as much as Chenle had.

“Jisung,” Chenle began, kicking his legs in the open space. The boy in question hummed. “Let’s go on an adventure.”

“Why, so we can become heroes?” Jisung asked.

Chenle grinned. “Yep, glad we're on the same page.”

“Wait, you're serious?” Jisung said. He thought Chenle had only been kidding.

“Why _shouldn’t_ we try to become legends? Everyone across the land will know our names, and we'll be remembered by the people forever. That doesn't sound so bad, right? It's not as if we have anything better to do,” Chenle reasoned.

And Jisung, like always, gave in. Even if it sounded a bit unrealistic for just two teenage boys to accomplish alone. They could manage.

Chenle asked the vines to take him down to the ground, and Jisung, confused, followed him in his bird form. Chenle posed confidently, pointing his finger up to the sky.

“How about this, I'll spin, and the direction my finger lands on is where we'll start heading,” Chenle said.

"Go for it," Jisung said.

And so Chenle span round and round, until he looked as though like his knees were about to give out from dizziness. Jisung was prepared to catch him, but he managed to not fall and ended up pointing in the direction of the village.

"Well," Chenle said.

_Well,_ they needed to head to the village to pack their things first anyway. Then they could say their goodbyes, if they were planning on it and not simply leaving. And _then _they could go on their journey. On their journey _that way_ (sorry, Jisung wasn't that good with directions).

They could manage on their own, _right?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 10/16/2019 - k look. i know i just said the dreamies fantasy au intro was going to be a five part thing, but now the other parts are getting longer than just ficlets and contain plot so i'm just saving the ideas for an actual fic. the other 3 parts were supposed to be dragon (ink 12), potion (chill 15) and journey (00ff 18) btw ^^


	8. 18 | BETS | renmin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it must hurt.
> 
> in which jaemin had refused to be rejected by renjun, and thus made a bet that he could make renjun fall in love with him by next spring. it's fall now, and renjun has yet to fall in love with jaemin. he never will.
> 
> — DAY EIGHTEEN - 00FFTOBER #19 - BETS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> renjun/jaemin. one sided love. unhealthy infatuation.

"why are you still doing this," renjun asks jaemin. they're at basketball court late at night, jaemin in a loose tank top and renjun, who's dressed more appropriately for a slightly chilly night such as this, in a baggy hoodie. jaemin had called him out here, texted him to meet him here in ten minutes _just because,_ and renjun had come, sneaked out of his house in the dead of the night, even though he knew he shouldn't have.

"because i love you," jaemin replies. "that's all there is to it."

"it must hurt, so why?" it must hurt, and _bad,_ because renjun will never love him back. and jaemin must know this, because renjun always makes sure to remind him of the fact. (it makes him feel cruel.)

jaemin picks up the lonely basketball sitting under the basket, and renjun watches as he attempts to get it to spin on his index finger, only to drop the ball after about five seconds and hiss at the burning friction on his fingertip. renjun snorts before shaking his head at the boy's antics.

jaemin recovers quickly. "you know, if you feel so bad for me, you could always just fall in love with me," jaemin says with a teasing smile. he dribbles the ball before jumping off the ground and going for a shot. it misses, bouncing off the metal rim of the hoop.

"that's not going to happen, jaemin."

jaemin scoops up the basketball in his arms again. "i still have time to _make_ it happen. it's only september." now instead of shooting it, he resorts to dunking it. it goes in.

for the two of them, keeping track of the months was important; the month it was always mattered now. it was because of a bet they made in the springtime, in may.

_"...i'm sorry," renjun said. in front of him was jaemin, who had just confessed his feelings for renjun. his expression noticeably fell from its usual cheery state, his lips in a frown rather than the beaming smile that made all the girls swoon. (god, the girls would hate him for rejecting jaemin—the whole fanclub would probably swarm him without end.)_

_"i'm guessing that means you're rejecting me," jaemin said._

_"...sorry." he didn't know what else to say that would let him down easily._

_"you don't need to be sorry."_

_"i just...don't know what else to say," renjun admitted. he couldn't look jaemin in the eyes, and so he, like the coward he was, had his gaze fixed on a tree behind the boy instead. the silence dragged on, becoming increasingly suffocating for the both of them with each passing second._

_and then jaemin took in a breath, and renjun braced himself for what the other would say next._

_"let's make a bet."_

_"wait, what?" them, make a bet _now_ of all times?_

_"a bet," jaemin repeated. yeah, he heard that the first time. jaemin gave him a sheepish smile, making renjun realize he had accidentally said that aloud. "how about this: give me one year to make you fall in love with me. if i can't make you fall in love with me by next may, then i won't bother you about this ever again. i'll let go of my feelings for you for good. but if you fall in love with me… well, you probably know what i'll want," he proposed, with a smile for good measure._

_"you sure are stubborn," renjun remarked._

he humoured jaemin and accepted the bet. he shouldn't have. he regrets it more than he regrets anything else he's done.

"when will you just give it up? you _have_ to know by now that this isn't going as you planned," renjun says, even though he knows what response he'll get (it's the response he always gets when he says this).

"i still have eight months, and eight months is plenty of time," jaemin replies, lightness in his tone, before saying, "here, catch."

jaemin passes renjun the ball. he catches it easily, but he holds it awkwardly in his two hands like a robot, not quite knowing what to do.

"are you going to shoot?" jaemin asks. renjun shrugs. jaemin smiles. "i won't laugh if you miss."

"i won't miss," renjun says, his competitive spark ignited. and now jaemin is giving him _that_ look, the look of undivided attention and infatuation, and it burns into him like laser beams. he ignores it, going for the shot from the three-point line. and like renjun said, he doesn't miss, the ball going into the basket smoothly.

jaemin whistles. "you're pretty good," he says. renjun _feels _good. he feels like he's won. but it only lasts for a moment before he berates himself. _the bet._

"thanks," is all renjun says. _the bet._

jaemin treats their bet like any other stupid bet. he treats it like it's some game to be won. but this _isn't _just some game—it's far from harmless. because it's _got_ to be hurting jaemin. renjun knows because it hurts _him, _and so what jaemin feels must be much worse.

renjun feels like a bad person, because it was his fault for letting this happen, because every time he tries to make jaemin _see,_ jaemin only lies more and more. it's unhealthy, and renjun thinks that deep down jaemin knows this, but he just refuses to accept it. and jaemin refuses to hate him. jaemin just keeps on loving him.

"renjun? you okay there?" jaemin asks, brows furrowed in worry. it snaps renjun out of his thoughts, and he finds that jaemin hasn't moved a single inch in the past minute or so, like he was waiting for renjun to say or do something. in the corner of his vision, he sees the basketball slowly rolling farther away.

"...y-yeah," renjun stammers. "sorry, did you say something?" jaemin frowns, and renjun knows he's not fooling him.

"i just called your name. was gonna ask if you were planning on going home yet. i want to walk you back."

renjun wants to ask _why_ again. but he knows what the answer will be: _because i love you._

"...i don't know what you see in me," he mumbles.

renjun wishes jaemin would just stop loving him. jaemin will fall out of love with him eventually, right?


	9. 20 | ESP/PSYCHIC | markhyuck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> coming right up.
> 
> in which donghyuck has the ability to read minds. he also works at a coffee shop. it's pretty useful.
> 
> — DAY TWENTY - 00FFTOBER #20 - ESP/PSYCHIC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mark/donghyuck. coffee shop au. fluff.
> 
> barely follows psychic but at the same time it does?? not that good but ok

Donghyuck was sure this place smelled of coffee, even if he'd gone noseblind from the delectable scent from being exposed to it so much.

Predictable for a coffee shop, jazz music was playing in the background, probably from some random playlist on YouTube. The atmosphere was chill but not chilly, and Donghyuck liked it that way.

There were a bunch of seats at Drippin', the ones out front in an open concept while the ones towards the back were more secluded booths. In particular, Donghyuck's favourite place to sit (while he wasn't on his shift, of course) was in the far back corner, because he was almost never interrupted, and plus there was a pretty, aesthetic neon sign in the back, the word 'love' with a dripping effect like the cafe's name. Like a hidden gem.

Donghyuck worked here, at this coffee shop. And if you didn't already know (which he couldn't really blame if you didn't, since he's only told his close coworkers this secret) Donghyuck had psychic powers and could read minds with them.

He usually only used them to see what a customer's order was, because when a customer just asked for “the regular” or “the usual” he didn’t want the customer to get pissed at him for not remembering their order. Donghyuck was a busy man, alright? And not to mention he took the orders of a hundred other customers. Having psychic powers sure had its perks.

Today, Donghyuck was on evening shift, taking orders from up front. Again a customer was asking for their regular order.

When he looked into their mind, he saw that they were one of those people with a super simple order. Thank you, dear customer, for having made Donghyuck’s life easier by not giving him a ridiculous order (one time he had a customer say they wanted their regular, and when he read their mind he saw a drink with sixteen different ingredients on the label, and he was pretty sure they weren't even one of _his_ regular customers but Jeno's). You also could’ve just said straight up that you wanted a mocha latte with two shots of chocolate. It really didn’t take much effort.

Anyway, Donghyuck went to work on the drink, since right now Renjun, his only coworker on shift with him tonight, was currently occupied with another customer’s order, and said customer was being distracting with his flirting. The customer's name was Jaemin, and he was Renjun and Jeno's boyfriend. At least, he assumed so with how he flirted with both of the baristas and both of them flirted back. Honestly, he didn't know anymore, but he did know that all that flirting was sickeningly gross.

The store had yet to receive its big influx of customers—there were some that came in here and there, but otherwise it was what one could call _the lazy hours._

The bell on the cafe door chimed, signaling that a new customer had just entered. He finished up the mocha latte, dispensing the milk foam up to the lip of the cup before putting a plastic lid on it, and slid it over the counter. The new customer stepped up front.

"Welcome to Drippin', what can I get for you?" Donghyuck said. It was like a mantra. It sure felt like a mantra with how many times he said it every day; he didn't even need to think of the sentence for it to slip off his tongue naturally.

"Um," the customer began awkwardly. The customer was dressed in a hoodie, holding onto the strings. He looked like he was the epitome of awkward. "Can I have a...a medium...cinnamon caramel vanilla latte? Oh, wait." Donghyuck rolled his eyes, deciding to read the boy's mind to put him out of his misery. He rolled his eyes at what he saw. "With two shots of—"

"Chocolate?" Donghyuck suggested. The same as the last customer. And the customer before them too. It was a trend here, everyone always had two shots of chocolate. He should've known, really.

The boy's eyes widened. "Yeah," he said, in awe.

Donghyuck wrote the order down on his notepad before punching the price in the machine. "Do you have a student card?"

"Uh, hold on," the boy said, fumbling around his pockets for the card. This was taking quite some time. But it didn't matter, since, now that he took a closer look, he found the boy was pretty cute. The card turned out to be in the boy's phone case.

"That'll be five dollars and twenty cents," Donghyuck said. The boy paid in change, and in awkward fashion managed to somehow drop a coin while handing it to him. "A name for the order?"

The boy was still blushing out of embarrassment. "Mark," he said. _Mark_ was still blushing out of embarrassment. _Mark_ was a cute boy, Donghyuck thought.

He proceeded to start on the drink, pouring ingredients into the blender before turning it on and playing the waiting game. Mark was leaning on the counter still, waiting for his drink when he could've just sat down.

"How did you know I wanted the two shots of chocolate?" Mark asked, looking genuinely curious, the lights above making his eyes look like they were sparkling.

"I read your mind," Donghyuck said smoothly. Mark's eyes went big and even brighter, like a little kid. It was cute. "Just kidding," he said, even though he had said the truth, "everyone here gets two shots of chocolate in their lattes, so I just assumed." Well, he guessed this was true too. Hiding a truth with another truth.

_"Everyone?" _Mark asked. "Like, no matter what?"

Donghyuck hummed. Mark was _really _cute, adorable even. "Yeah." Then he went to stop the blender and pour the sweet drink into the cup with Mark's name. He topped it off with the milk foam, a light dusting of cinnamon powder and a sprinkle of crunchy caramel bits before sealing it all with the lid and handing it to Mark.

Mark took the cup graciously and brought it to his lips for a sip. And Donghyuck was waiting on Mark's reaction.

"Wow, this is actually pretty good?"

Donghyuck's brows furrowed, eyes narrowing and giving Mark a look. "Wait, what do you mean by _'actually'?_ Of course it's good, didn't you pick it out yourself?"

"Oh, a friend recommended it to me, I didn't think they actually had good taste," Mark replied, smiling shyly.

Donghyuck snorted. "Doesn't it just _sound_ like it would taste good? A _cinnamon, caramel,_ _vanilla_ latte. I'd be more skeptical if it was a five shot espresso with, like, four pumps of raspberry, three pumps of strawberry, four pumps of white mocha, two pumps of pumpkin, and caramel drizzle," he said. He shuddered at the description of the drink. He had tried it once and it had been absolutely disgusting.

"Wait, people actually do that? Don't they have taste buds?" Mark said, taking another long sip of his drink.

After quickly rinsing out the blender, he returned to the conversation, his attention now solely on Mark. "Believe it or not, yeah. But I highly doubt they have taste buds."

"Dang, that must be annoying, having to put in that many pumps." Another sip.

"Oh yeah, it's annoying alright. Like, are these people right in the head? I was _this,"_ Donghyuck said, his thumb and index only an inch apart, "close to asking, 'mister, are you _okay?'"_

Mark giggled cutely, and Donghyuck was whipped. "Why didn't you?"

"Didn't wanna risk getting fired," Donghyuck said simply, making Mark giggle again.

Mark took yet another sip, before saying, "I think I'm gonna have to buy another one of these. 'Cause this is _really_ good."

"Coming right up," Donghyuck said, turning back to his work station. There was a new customer at the register, but Renjun was taking care of them. He ended up finishing Mark's second drink quickly.

Mark was ready to give him the money this time, but Donghyuck just shook his head, handing him the drink. "It's on me," he said.

Mark's eyes widened for the second time that evening. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Just take it."

From that day on, Mark became a regular customer—_his_ regular customer.__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was supposed to have another like 800 words but i really didn't have the time, i ended up only writing 544 words more than what is here (1333 words), but it's not as good and it's not done so i didn't include it. but if you want it i'll make it into a separate fic, otherwise nah i don't have motivation


	10. 24 | ANTIQUE | nahyuck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> of pocket watches and engagement rings.
> 
> in which donghyuck sells antiques, and prides himself on having every antique you could think of. then jaemin comes in asking for something that he has but isn't for sale.
> 
> — DAY TWENTY-FOUR - 00FFTOBER #21 - ANTIQUE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jaemin/donghyuck. implied/mentioned renmin. in the same universe as [RING](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20799236/chapters/49434506)!!!
> 
> if you haven't read ring (chapter 1) yet, i highly recommend doing so before reading this! this part actually comes BEFORE ring, but i think it will just hit differently if you read this part after rather than before.

Welcome to Donghyuck's Antique Shop.

Sorry, that wasn't the name of the shop.

Welcome to _Candle Light,_ a quaint hole-in-the-wall shop of antiquities, one that Donghyuck just so happened to own.

In the shop were old maps pinned on the walls, trinkets lined on the shelves, music boxes and animatronics and dolls sitting on the desks—everything really. From good luck charms and jewellery to paintings and oil lamps to clocks and telephones to record players and film cameras—you named it, Donghyuck had it.

And here, in this shop bathed in warm lighting, Donghyuck was sitting on a stool and rewinding one of his grandfather clocks. It was an absolute beauty, the teal-lacquered wood slightly chipped yet still in overall exquisite condition, the ridges carved in it and the finely painted details of the flowers in gold making it the perfect piece to display as one of his shop's corner-pieces. Inside the glass cover, the area surrounding the face of the clock was plated in gold, the clock's delicate hands like thorns threaded.

It hadn't been easy to get it from the auction, but, to Donghyuck, beautiful things such as this were well worth their prices. He's had this particular piece for about three years now, been taking care of it and preserving its condition in hopes of one day selling it for more than the price he had bought it at.

_Jingle._ Donghyuck didn't bother addressing the new visitor, continuing with the clockwork. He found it was a waste of his breath, saying greetings to customers that left only five minutes after first stepping through the door. Obviously those customers weren't looking to buy something, because if they had they'd take much longer to look through his collection. And if he didn't have what they were looking for on display, it was probably taken out of rotation and was somewhere in the backroom, and all you'd need to do is ask and he'd go and search for it.

"Are you the owner here?"

Donghyuck's head whipped over his shoulder to look at the customer. A man was there, looking straight at him, and he nearly dropped the clock crank in his hand from what he saw. The man was undeniably handsome, and Donghyuck had to restrain himself from looking him up and down.

Donghyuck gulped but down the wrong pipe, leading him to choke and need to cough into his fist before saying, "Yes, I am. Welcome to Candle Light. Are you looking for anything in particular?"

"I was just wondering if you had this item," he told him, and Donghyuck had to mentally chant _professionalism_ to remind himself that he was here to sell, not to spy.

"What is it you're looking for? Chances are I have it." Yes, and he prided himself for it. He was the ultimate collector after all, and he had to be to own a business such as this.

"...It's a pocket watch, called _Beautiful Time._ One that has the magic to make one's life a 'beautiful time' as long as they have it on their person," the man explained. And Donghyuck froze. As long as a customer was willing to pay a large enough sum for it, he'd sell it to them. Unless it was this.

It wasn't that he didn't have it—he did, the piece was in his pocket as they spoke. But Donghyuck would never give it away, no matter if they paid him a million, two million, _a billion_ dollars for it. No matter how good looking this guy was.

"This is an _antique_ shop, not some shop of magical artifacts," Donghyuck said, trying to make his excuse believable by giving him the sass. "Besides, if I had an object like that, I'd probably keep it for myself."

The man looked rueful. "Sorry, guess I came to the wrong place," he said, scratching his nape. He began to walk back towards the door, but Donghyuck didn't want the man to leave the shop just yet. The man was so beautiful to look at, he couldn't leave just yet.

"Wait," Donghyuck began, closing the grandfather clock's glass door and placing the winding key back into its case. "Did you only come here looking for that? I'll give you a discount because I don't have what you're looking for."

"Huh?"

"I say I have everything, but if I don't, then I give my customers a discount. It's my policy around here," Donghyuck explained. It was, there was a sheet saying so pinned on the corkboard behind his counter, the one with the maps. This would be the first time he actually had to follow it.

"You just want me to spend money here, don't you."

"And? It's called being a good businessman," Donghyuck said, walking behind the counter and ploping himself down in his chair.

"Then I'll buy. What do you have?"

Donghyuck gestured to the rest of the shop. "Just look around. There's plenty of things you could buy."

The man turned around, laying his eyes upon the antiques before asking, "Do you have any rings? Rings with birthstones."

"Which birthstone? Is it for yourself or for somebody else?"

"Why not both? I'll buy two rings. Peridot and aquamarine."

Donghyuck ducked down to the cabinets in his desk. He took his loop of keys from his breast pocket and unlocked one of them, the wood making a slight creaking noise as he opened it. He took out two jewellery cases and flipped up the tops, revealing chartreuse green and ice blue rings sandwiched between pads of foam.

"Take your pick," Donghyuck said. And he watched as the man looked at the selection carefully, picking some up to examine closer once in a while. "Who is the other ring for? The one you're not buying for yourself," he asked.

"Someone I really love," the man said, and Donghyuck threw all of his previous thoughts about the man's looks out of the window; he couldn't very well be taken with a taken man. "Think it would make a good engagement ring?"

"Which one? The peridot or the aquamarine? Because peridot isn't that durable of a gemstone."

"The aquamarine. He was born in March, I was the one born in August." So it was a _he,_ huh.

"Then I say go for it. It shows you're more thoughtful than someone who'd just buy the most expensive diamond ring they could find," Donghyuck said.

"What if he thinks I'm being a cheap ass?" he said, putting an azure stone back in its place and simply bringing his face closer to the box.

"I'd hope you wouldn't be proposing to an ungrateful ass. And vintages like these are pretty expensive."

The man smiled, finally taking out a ring from each of the displays and setting them down on the counter. "Well, thankfully he's not like that. He's not the type to take things for granted."

Donghyuck hummed, leaning across the desk to peek at his picks. "Sounds like a great guy."

"He really is."

The man turned out to have good taste. Donghyuck was even a bit sad to see them go from his collection. The aquamarine ring was set in an engraved white gold, the blank colour shifting focus onto the glamourous oval-cut gemstone, that of which was an alluring powder blue and as mystical-looking as water itself. And then he looked at the peridot, the ravishing lime-coloured stone an emerald-cut on sterling silver, with engravings just as meticulous as the other ring. Both were beautiful specimens of art and craftsmanship, but both were worth higher prices than their modern equivalents.

"How much are they?" the man asked.

"I promised you a discount, didn't I? Thirty-five hundred." That had to have been a good six hundred dollars off.

"Wait, for _both?"_ the man said, clearly shocked by how lax with the prices Donghyuck was being. To be honest, he was shocked with himself for willingly losing profit.

"Yeah. Take it or leave it."

"...I'll take it."

"Just saying, it's another seventy-five for a vintage box."

The man rolled his eyes, taking out his wallet. "I'll buy one," he said, snatching a pen from Donghyuck's desk to sign a cheque.

"What's your name?" Donghyuck asked as he took out one of his ring boxes, placing the aquamarine ring inside it before snapping it shut.

"It's Jaemin. Why?" the man said, sliding him the cheque along with his pen.

He shrugged, taking the cheque. "No reason." It was because he had nothing better to do but remember the names of all his customers.

Jaemin grabbed the ring box and the peridot ring, putting both in his pocket. "Well, until we meet again, I guess."

"That should be my line," Donghyuck said, and Jaemin fired another smile before pushing open the door. _Jingle._

Yeah, he really had nothing better to do—he was always cooped up in his shop. Maybe _Beautiful Time_ was wasted on someone like him. But he figured Jaemin wouldn't need the pocket watch anyway. Because he was sure that love would be all he needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you read ring right before this as i suggested, i'm hoping you have a few questions and theories *cough cough what happened to the aquamarine ring, how did jaemin even know about the pocket watch, etc* because oh boy do i have many. truthfully i'm still figuring it all out, maybe if i have the time i'll expand on the story and worldbuilding and share it with yall


	11. 26 | SHOOTING STARS | chensung

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> or something.
> 
> in which chenle and jisung go out to watch a comet, and chenle fails to confess.
> 
> — DAY TWENTY-SIX - CHILLTOBER #26 - SHOOTING STARS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chenle/jisung. modern setting au. they're hs students. pining.

"hey, jisung."

jisung, whose eyes were still transfixed on the galaxies above them, let out a soft hum, as if to say _'go on'._

the star-speckled night sky was breathtaking, and chenle thought the boy lying next to him was breathtaking too. perhaps chenle even thought that he was _more_ breathtaking. chenle was such a sap, he knew, but it wasn't like he could do much about it.

when jisung figured chenle wasn't going to say anything, he said with a shy smile, "please don't tell me you were going to say something about our hopes and dreams or something."

_or something._

"i wasn't going to," chenle said instead.

"don't lie to me; you were definitely going to talk all cliché for, like, ten whole minutes," jisung said. chenle should've learned by now that jisung saw through his everything; the boy knew everything about him, with the things he didn't know so few he was probably able to count them on just his two hands, and always closely noted every small detail so he could predict chenle's next move.

"if you really want me to, i'll spout out all the clichés i can think of off the top of my head."

the two boys let out soft laughter, however chenle thought it was more like soft _breathing_ on each other's necks with how close the two were snuggled together. it had been jisung who had insisted on being in such close proximity, simply because his side wouldn't seep in as much cold with chenle as a shield. it turned out to be mutually beneficial.

it wasn't before long they had nothing left to laugh at and the short moment was over. chenle sighed—he had told himself that tonight he'd stop running away from his feelings and finally confess. and without even thinking chenle said aloud what he should've kept to himself: "i'm worried." he couldn't help that it was second nature to speak his mind around jisung.

"about what? finals?" well, of course he was _stressed_ about finals, but he wouldn't describe it as being _worried_ exactly.

"not about finals," chenle replied, and his heart was hammering so hard against his ribcage to the point he was afraid jisung could feel or hear it. _i'm worried that the feelings i'm about to pour out won't be accepted._

"then _what?"_ jisung asked, the expectant look he gave chenle making him want to reconsider everything.

jisung was his best friend, and the two were practically glued to the hip as everyone always said (quite literally, they were now). what if jisung didn't accept his feelings? what would chenle do if jisung suddenly wasn't _there_ anymore?

"never mind," jisung said, noticing his chenle's unease.

jisung sat up to stretch his arms that had gone numb from being used as his makeshift headrest for the past half hour, resulting in chenle mirroring his actions even though he had no reason to do so, since he had used his balled up jacket as a pillow instead.

"it's okay if you don't want to talk about it right now," jisung said, hugging his knees and focusing his eyes on the moon and stars once again. and chenle was looking at how ethereal jisung was again.

chenle was extremely grateful to hear those words come out of jisung's mouth. he still had time, he reminded himself.

and then jisung was latching onto chenle's slightly clammy hand, though it seemed he was too distracted to care; his eyes were still trained on the sky and not even sparing chenle a glance.

"chenle, look," he said, his voice sounding in awe, his eyes widened in astonishment, milky blue light reflecting in them and bouncing on his skin. and so chenle pried his gaze away from etherealness himself.

what he saw was a comet. it was the comet they had gone out here to see. he understood why jisung was so mesmerized. because it was mesmerizing. its tail was still growing longer, streaks of icy blue and glowing violet being painted gently across the sky in the comet's wake, and it was definitely eye catching.

"wow," jisung said, now unconsciously squeezing chenle's hand. "it's beautiful."

chenle squeezed back, ducking his head and going back to looking at jisung. and he gulped.

"yeah, beautiful," he croaked, his voice nearly cracking with how his heart caught in his throat and refused to go down.

chenle was talking about jisung.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's a wrap! all of my october writing is done!
> 
> sadly i couldn't do all 31 days, only 12 days (11 here, 1 is a separate work), and i couldn't finish some days/had to scrap them, but i'm happy with what i've written here! at least i wrote something! and i've experimented with my writing style this month through this challenge!
> 
> by far, my favourites to write were REINCARNATION (separate work), ASH, BETS, and SHOOTING STARS (not in that order)! in other words, the angsty/sad ones (predictable right).
> 
> anyways, thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> feel free to check out my twitter [@ksfrmi](https://twitter.com/ksfrmi) or my other works here on ao3!!
> 
> **ISSUES GOING ON IN THE WORLD**  
[issuesintheworld.carrd.co](https://issuesintheworld.carrd.co/)
> 
> **#BLACKLIVESMATTER**  
[blacklivesmatters.carrd.co](https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/)
> 
> **LGBTQ+ RIGHTS IN POLAND**  
[lgbtqpl.carrd.co](https://lgbtqpl.carrd.co/)
> 
> **YEMEN CRISIS**  
[yemencrisis.carrd.co](https://yemencrisis.carrd.co/)
> 
> **PHILLIPINES #JUNKTERRORLAW**  
[parasapinas.carrd.co](https://parasapinas.carrd.co/)


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